Ryan, McCarthy again tell Chaffetz to stay away from Clinton

Politico ^ | February 4,2016 | JAKE SHERMAN and RACHAEL BADE

[Hojczyk]

Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy met privately with Rep. Jason Chaffetz Wednesday evening to reiterate that he cannot proceed with any investigation that involves Hillary Clinton, according to multiple sources familiar with the meeting.

The impetus for the gathering was a POLITICO story where Chaffetz, the chairman, of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was quoted as saying that a pending probe into government record keeping practices would not be "specifically trying to target the secretary, but when she creates her own private email system, she's ensnarled herself.” Presented with the quote before publication, House Republican leaders were taken aback, saying they told Chaffetz to steer clear of Clinton in his broader probe of the use of personal email addresses to conduct government business.

House Republican leadership is moving cautiously when it comes to Clinton. Ryan and McCarthy have been clear about their preference that the FBI handle anything Clinton related. But Chaffetz's comments led to confusion in Republican leadership.

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